Guardian Angels
by Illario Kylarone
Summary: Those who have grand destinies in store for them are granted a Guardian Angel. But the Forces of Good are not the only ones moving on the Mortal Plane.
1. Prologue

The light never faded from the sky here. It always seemed as bright as mid-morning. It was for this very reason that days seemed to blur together for some; especially those that spent their time among mortals. To all others, time was something that they did not even consider, as it had little to no effect on them. But this story is not about that majority. This story is about those few that it does.

The streets were their usual quiet as a young woman strode among her people, long red hair streaming behind her, as if through water. Piercing green eyes watched her surroundings carefully. Slender shoulders carried a gleaming sword and shield strapped to them, golden and red in colors. Upon her figure, she bore gilded armor that seemed to shine just as bright as the sky above. With purpose, she moved, grace and elegance befitting her people.

Today was of utmost import to this woman. Today, she had been summoned. Today, she was to receive her new assignment. And try as she might, she could not hide her excitement. In her mind, she had been among her people long enough. It was time to return to her duties on the Mortal Plane.

So it was that she soon found herself approaching the largest building, stark white in appearance. Her eyes looked over its majesty for a long moment before they lowered to look upon the twin doors that barred her way. And then they lowered further to see the older man who always stood guard there. He was tall, broad of shoulder and barrel of chest. His arms were thick and sinewy, and his face scarred and grim. Shaggy silver hair fell just above bright gold eyes that held a wisdom above any others the woman had seen along her journeys. As she approached, she gave a slight bow to him. "How does your day fare, brother? Well, I hope?"

With his arms folded over his chest, the man regarded her for a moment before a small smile spread across thin lips. "It fares as well as any other, sister. The Four are expecting you." With that said, he stepped to one side, allowing the doors behind him to swing open without a sound.

A smile, a nod; and she was walking past her comrade, through the doors, and into the Sanctum. The room was bright. Brighter than the world outside, even. The young red-head was forced to shield her gaze, for fear she might never see again. Moving to the center of the room, she took a knee and waited.

It did not take long for four figures to appear out of the light, stepping forward to address their visitor. The tallest spoke first, her voice commanding, but gentle. Her eyes were of a piercing blue, and her hair was shimmering silver, tied up tight near the top of her head. "Pyrrha Nikos," she greeted. "We welcome you to our Sanctum."

Her head bowed, Pyrrha did not need to look up to know which of the four spoke to her. She lowered herself further for a moment before speaking. "I thank you, Sister Winter." Her voice was as calm and level as she could make it, but even within that, there was a hint of awe for the women standing before her.

A second spoke up, the shortest and by far the most energetic. She took a light step closer to the kneeling woman, her short green hair bouncing as she did so. A lithe hand brushed a few stray strands from equally green eyes. "Do you know why it is we have asked you here this day?"

"As I understand it," Pyrrha began. "You have a new assignment for me."

The youngest nodded, a bright smile coming to her lips. "Indeed! As a Guardian Angel, it is your duty to watch over the Mortals, to be bound to one who will one day rise above all expectations set before them."

The third of the four spoke up, then, stepping forward to calm the other. This woman was slender of build, fiery golden hair framed a fair face where equally golden eyes resided. "This is the charge we give you. The charge you must accept. Tell us, Pyrrha, do you swear to protect and serve your charge to the best of your ability, until such a day comes that they breathe their last?"

"I swear it."

It was then that the fourth and final member of the group stepped forward, drawing Pyrrha's gaze. Long red hair cascaded down a strong back, and Ruby eyes that were filled with joy and determination watched her with interest. In the palm of her hand, she held a globe. This globe was clear, though images flickered through it, just beneath the surface. As it zeroed in on it's target, the woman holding the globe spoke up. "This is your new charge."

A young boy was shown in the globe's surface now. He was scrawny and thin, with scraggly blond hair that fell haphazardly into blazing blue eyes. He held a toy sword in his hand, standing in tall grass that he played at cutting.

"His name is Jaune Arc. In a year's time he will join the Beacon Guild of Adventurers. You will guide his every step. Ensure he does not falter or fall, for he is destined for great things. This is your charge. Do you accept?"

Pyrrha watched the young boy play at defeating Giants and Dragons with a broad grin on his face. Slowly, a gentle smile came to rest on her own countenance. "I accept."

"Then here and now, we place an oath upon you; a bond." Winter was speaking again, and the other three fell back as she did so. "To guard and protect Jaune Arc. Know that should you fail, pain will blind you to all else that moves in all the worlds. This bond cannot be severed or broken until his destiny is reached, or you fail and he dies. Go to him with that knowledge, child. Go and do your duty, for the Mortals and for us."

"At once." Pyrrha rose to her feet as the Sisters retreated back to the light. The young woman gave a deep bow before turning to leave the room. 'Jaune Arc,' she wondered as she walked. 'What will you have in store for me? What will your destiny be?'


	2. Chapter 1

The Guild definitely had not been what Jaune was expecting; though, it did occur to him that he had gone in with no idea what to expect anyway. Over the years; however, he had gotten used to the way things were run. Now if only he could convince the Guild Masters that his victories of seemingly insurmountable odds were on purpose. Granted, some of his success stories stretched the credible, even to himself, but what should matter is that he did end up victorious. Right?

Apparently not according to the Guild Masters. Not that Jaune entirely minded, but after three years of being Copper Rank things were looking grim for him. At least he was helping people, though. That was the important thing to the blonde. Every village he left behind could sleep a little safer at night. Not a lot, but a little.

It was that thought the spurred him onward, back towards the Guild Hall. He had to admit, while travelling was wonderful, seeing new people was great, the sight of the Grand Tower shimmering in the sun as it overlooked Vale City was always a welcome sight. That tower was the reason Vale could flourish like it had, and why Vale's Adventurer's Guild was one of the most successful in the world. The Professor that stayed in the Tower kept it safe, though few had ever actually seen the man. It made Jaune wonder who he was and what made the Tower glow and shine like that.

By mid-afternoon, Jaune was at the gates of the city. As soon as it opened, he was greeted by a cacophony of people and animals alike. The din earned a soft smile from the boy as he dove into the flood and allowed himself to be swept away. It didn't take him long to reach the Guild Hall, stepping into the relative quiet of the building. Men and women were busy walking in, out, and around on some important business or other. The quiet made him frown. Usually the entrance hall was bustling with Guild members and people requesting aid.

Now he was faced with a choice. He could either go and report a mission success to his Guild Lieutenant, Arancio, or he could slink up to his room in the Guild and avoid having to deal with him for another few hours. He would have made up his mind, but something- or rather, someone- pushed the thought from his mind.

"Hey, Jaune! Welcome back!" A cheerful young girl had just slid her way down the banister on the far side of the hall and skipped up to her friend. Bright silver eyes smiled up at the blond through red-tipped black bangs. "How'd it go?"

Jaune returned her smile, though somewhat less enthusiastic. "Hey, Ruby. Things went well, all things considered. No complaints or injuries. Save for the bandits, anyway."

"Aw, just bandits this time?" Ruby gave a sly grin and reached up, poking Jaune's chestplate. "No giants or dragons to defeat by finding a food allergy or something?"

"Oh shut up." Jaune rolled his eyes, lanky arms folding over his armored chest. "I've never faced either of those things. Besides, I'm not the one who got bumped up two whole ranks just for stopping a robbery."

"Hey! That was a deadly robbery, I'll have you know." Much smaller arms folded over a much smaller chest as she spoke. "There was a demon and everything."

"Oh, _demons,_ " Jaune didn't think he could roll his eyes any harder, though his smile did return to his face. "Because that's _so_ much more believable than giants or dragons."

Ruby pursed her lips, narrowing her eyes at her friend. "Goodwitch saw it. It happened."

"Uh-huh." The blonde's eyebrow raised so high that he swore it was going to fly right off his face. "I'm just saying: a little girl fending off a demon by herself stretches credibility just a bit. So you really have no room to complain about my 'miraculous' successes."

"Oh yeah? Well it just so happens that I have something you don't, Jaune."

"And what would that be, Ruby?"  
Ruby's pout slowly turned smug. "A credible witness." The young girl stuck her tongue out. "Your dog doesn't count."

"Yeah, yeah, teacher's pet."

"You're just mad because I'm right."

"And you're the one who's been giving me grief. I'm sorry if you can't take what you dish out."

"Hush, you." There was a pause as Ruby looked around, obviously confused by what wasn't there. "Did you just get back?"

"Yeah. I'm going to have to go deal with Arancio." A soft sigh slipped from pale lips. "That's going to be _fun_."

Ruby frowned, her arms falling back to her sides. "Is your Guild Lieutenant still giving you a hard time?"

Jaune nodded. "I've gotten used to it. It's no big deal."

"Do you have to do it now?" Any way out she could see, and Ruby would gladly give it to him.

"I should, yeah. Just get it over with, you know? I'll catch up with you later, okay? Tell you all about the mission I was on."

"Sounds good!" A smile returned to the young girl's countenance. She loved hearing stories from her friends. "Maybe we can look into going on a mission together next time?"

"Sounds like a plan. I'll see you later, Ruby." With that said, Jaune turned to head past his friend and up the stairs she had descended a few minutes ago. Conversations with Ruby always seemed to lift his mood, but he had a feeling that it wouldn't last. Arancio had that kind of mood ruining habit. This was going to be fun.

Arancio was one of many Guild Lieutenants that watched over the lower ranks of the Guild. Most of the higher ranks were given missions directly from the Guild Masters. Lieutenants were chosen from the higher ranks(usually Titanium or higher) and are supposed to watch over the newer members of the Guild and ensure their safety. They weren't supposed to play favorites. But anyone who had to deal with Arancio for even a few minutes could tell that he was one of the worst about it.

Jaune had been dealing with Arancio for three years now, and he had yet to figure out what he had done to rub him the wrong way. It was a nightmare to deal with him and Jaune usually left his presence feeling worse about himself than usual; and that was saying something. There was no way he was looking forward to this meeting.

At least he had another conversation with Ruby to look forward to.

Behind him, Ruby allowed her smile to fade. She knew that the next hour or so would not be very fun for the young adventurer. "Good luck, Jaune."

A slightly shorter girl with long white hair appeared next to Ruby, arms folded over a slight chest. "Luck's not going to save him, you know. I'd say it's a miracle that he's survived this long, but..."

Ruby turned to face the newcomer, head tipping to one side. "Weiss? What did you mean?"

Ice blue eyes rolled hard. "You'll see eventually. I hope."


End file.
